Upper and lower garments and supporter elements for them



J.'M. MARIN Aug. 6, 1957 UPPER AND LOWER GARMENTS AND SUPPORTER ELEMENTS FOR THEM Filed Feb. 3, 1954 (Toss/ H M. MAQ/N INVENTOR.

14 rraeu/s.

United States atent O UPPER AND LOWERGARMENTS AND SUP- PORTER ELEMENTS FOR THEM Joseph M. Marin, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 3, 1954, Serial No. 407,855

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-70) This invention relates to supporters operating to hold trousers, slacks, skirts, or other lower garments, such as in two-piece pajamas, in place without the need of belts or suspenders.

When belts are used, the constricting effect upon the human body may result not only in discomfort, but in impairment of health. When suspenders or braces are used, the effect is unsightly. Furthermore, the close contact of such suspenders or belts with the body causes physical irritation due to perspiration, and it is often necessary to adjust the shirt and trousers, due to riding up of the shirt tail.

It is one of the objects of this invention to obviate all these disadvantages in a simple and effective manner, and particularly by the aid of holders that are hidden from view. These holders keep the upper garment, from which the trousers, skirts, or the like are supported, in smooth, unwrinltled condition.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved means for holding trousers or the like in proper, comfortable position upon the wearer.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of several embodiments of the invention. For this purpose, there are shown a few forms in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. These forms will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the invention utilized in connection with an upper and a lower garment, a portion of the upper edge of the lower garment being omitted in order to disclose structure included in the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken along a plane corresponding to line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken along a plane corresponding to line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a pictorial view of one of the holders utilized in the invention;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a modified form of the holder; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view illustrating the manner of use of a holder along the side seams of the upper garment.

In the present instance, the upper garment 1 may be a shirt or waist or the like. The lower garment 2 is shown as trousers, although other types of lower garments may be used, either for feminine or male wear.

The trousers 2 are supported from the waist portion of the shirt 1. The gentle pull of the trousers upon the shirt 1 maintains it in proper position upon the upper part of the body, and in a comfortable manner. In this way, the wearer can engage in strenuous physical activity without disturbing the proper relationship between the shirt and the trousers. Furthermore, there is no bunching of the shirt at or near the waist.

In order to accomplish this result, use is made of a plurality of holders 3. These holders serve detachably to attach the trousers to the shirt. Each holder 3 is so arranged that it may be detachably attached either to the shirt 1 or trousers 2, or both of them. In the present instance, buttons are shown as one form of detachable fastening means.

Accordingly, holder 3 in the present instance is shown as made of a plurality of layers of fabric or pliant leather or the like. Two buttonhole openings 4 and 5 are formed.

The upper one of these openings is adapted to engageabutton 6 fastened to the shirt 1. A reinforcement pad 7, sewn on the inside of the shirt, ensures against tearingof the shirt due to the strain exerted upon button 6. This pad may be made of one-way stretch fabric if desired, the stretch being in a vertical direction.

The lower buttonhole 5 is adapted to engage a button 8 attached to the inside of the top band of the trousers. This button is disposed below the top edge of the trousers 2. The spacing of the buttonholes is such that the top button 6 is completely concealed by the trouser band.

As many of these holders 3 may be used as desired in order to hold the shirt 1 in proper position upon the body. In the present instance, six such holders 3 are shown in Fig. 1. Reinforcement pads 7, however, need not necessarily be provided.

In the event that the shirt 1 is of the usual type of mens shirt with an opening in front, the button 6 may be sewn onto the doubled or overlapping edge 9 of the shirt front. This doubled material is of sufiicient strength to support the button 6 without further pad reinforcement. All of the buttons 6 are at the same level, at a height determined by the needs of the wearer. For example, a person with a short torso may require the buttons to be at a slightly higher level, and the buttons can be repositioned for that purpose.

The holders arranged at each side of the shirt, as illustrated in Fig. 6, are arranged at the side seams 10, which provide suflicient reinforcing of the material at each side so as to obviate the necessity of these reinforcing pads 7.

Furthermore, although six holders are shown, obviously the holders can be so arranged as to provide two in the back, and two in the front; or any similar arrangement, such as two at the side, and one at the front and one at the back. If desired, the holders 3 may be attached permanently either to the shirt or to the trousers. The holders 3 may be first attached to the shirt, and then when donned, they may be engaged with the trouser buttons 8. The operation of engaging and disengaging the holders can be very quickly effected.

In Fig. 4 another type of holder 11 is illustrated. In this form the holder 11 is made either of a multiple layer or a single layer of flexible material, such as fabric; if pliant leather is used, only one layer is required. A single elongated slot 12 may be provided, separated at the center by reinforcement stitches 13 across the slot 12. One or both of the upper or lower edges may be straight, instead of arcuate.

In the form shown in Fig. 5, the holder 14 may be made of either elastic or non-elastic cord material 15, joined together at the center by threads 16 extending around the material. In this way an upper buttonhole 17 and a lower buttonhole 18 are formed. If the cord 15 be made of elastic material, these buttonholes may be made considerably smaller than the buttons with which they are to engage. In this way, expansion of the loops forming the buttonholes is required to engage the buttons with the buttonholes. This ensures against inadverent removal of the holder.

7 3 Furthermore, the holder 3 or 11 may, if desired, be made from a single thickness of one-way stretch elastic material.

The inventor claims; a 1. In combination: an upper garment; said upper garment having an overlapping front edge as well as side seams; a lower garment; the upper edge of the lower garment overlying the lower edge of the upper garment; buttons provided respectively adjacent the side seams of the upper garment; a button provided on the overlapping front edge of the upper garment; buttons arranged beneath the top edge of the lower garment; the positions of the buttons on the lower garment corresponding respectively to the positions of the buttons on the upper garment; and aplurality of detachable holders having aligned, spaced apart openings cooperating with the buttons; said holders being entirely concealed by the upper edge of the lower garment, and being otherwise unattached to the garments. 2. In combination: an upper garment; said upper garment having an overlapping front edge as Well as side seams; a lower garment; the upper edge of the lower garment overlying the lower edge of the upper garment; detachable fastener elements respectively attached adiacent the side seams of the upper garment; a detachable fastener element attached to the overlapping front edge of the upper garment; detachable fastener elements carried below the upper edge of the lower garment and corresponding in position to the positions of the detachable elements on the upper garment; and a plurality of holders having aligned, spaced apart detachable fastener elements cooperating, for each holder, with corresponding detachable fastener elements of the two garments; said holders being entirely concealed by the upper edge of the lower garment, and being otherwise unattached to the garmentsv References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 329,055 Lane Oct. 27, 1885 365,283 Todd June 21, 1887 449,710 Spitz Apr. 7, 1891 1,722,658 Busha July 30, 1929 2,089,379 Johnson Aug. 10, 1937 2,181,192 Liebermann Nov. 28, 1939 2,580,024 Holfman Dec. 25, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,661 Great Britain Feb. 15, 1906 

